Suddenly, the same impulses flood through me again.
Dark, cruel, and malicious.
Take control of the light and the dark.
That insidious command slithers around and around within my mind. An unwanted directive.
Emil said it has echoed through time despite the sacrifices that were made to defeat it.
Take control. Make them yours. Seize the power. Take control?—
But all I can feel at this moment is anger.
“Control is a fucking illusion!” I snap, as if I can tell the impulses to fuck off already. “There is no control! Only heartache.”
At my declaration, the insidious commands stop.
They’re so instantly gone that I’m a little surprised.
Even when I drag my claws through the apple’s flesh, the commands don’t come back.
My shoulders slump and my voice quiets. “There is only heartache and pain for dark creatures. And that is all there ever will be.”
As if to punctuate my point, my stomach growls at that moment and I reconsider the now-mutilated apple.
Stabbing a piece with the foreclaw of my other hand, I pop it into my mouth.
I’ve never eaten a fresh apple straight from the tree before, only old bits of apples my jailer brought me, but this one is nowhere near as sweet as I thought it might be.
How fucking disappointing.
“Hamburgers and pizza are still my favorite,” I mutter before I toss the partially eaten fruit over my shoulder and step away from the trees.
I pull up sharply when I make out Emil’s form at the window of the cottage opposite me across the garden.
His eyes are wide and his lips are parted.
I can only stare back.
I’m not sure what I could have done to surprise him.
I’m certain apples are for eating, so it can’t be because I’ve committed some sort of culinary crime, and, other than popping a chunk in my mouth, I’ve done nothing much more than mutter to myself like I’m losing my mind.
As soon as he catches me looking at him, his expression changes. His lips soften and so do his eyes. There’s a little crease in his forehead and a slight tilt to his head. And then,mysteriously, a hint of a smile that makes me want to close the distance between us and ask him what he’s thinking.
Not that he would tell me.
But.Damn. My body had finally cooled down and now that aching physical need burns within me again.
All it took was a look.
Damn him.
I grind my teeth together, sensing my sharp, black teeth descend.
“Control is an illusion,” I say again, forcing myself to break his gaze and turn away from him, putting one foot in front of the other in the direction of my pack.
I am determined to find a spot next to Anarchy and force myself to fall asleep this time, but I’ve only taken a few steps when a flash of sudden movement from the cottage catches my attention again.
